There is a big discussion about where UX is going and about the impact Social Networking is having. When it comes to Social Media we have crossed the Rubicon (metaphorical point of no return). There is no going back. There is nowhere to hide. Social Media and the explosion in tools in the last of 6 months have changed the industry. Some people also argue it is changing our brains as well as our entire ways of working.

Thomas Power has a 16 minute video, called “Do you have a digital Mindset“. He talks about the new mindset and proposes we think hard about 3 words; open, random and supportive.

What is happening is the amount of information and the addiction to information as well as new skills such as filtering or curating.

We are curators now

This has part of the story of what we has UX people have to get to grips with and understand at a detail level. Understanding how people consume information as well as the underlying systems and being about to create memorable and meaningful experiences. Social media is not a role. It is becoming a part of all of our lives. To ignore this and not be a part of it is foolish. The only way to understand the phenomena of social media and include it in our solutions is to become a part of it.

The new digital mindset is changing companies to become more open as well. Nowhere is this more evident than digital. Employers and clients want hard evidence that they are buying value. Value is what UX Consultants bring to a project. Anyone who tells you that it is about producing deliverables (wireframes, site maps) is wrong. It is the thinking – understanding users through research, analysis, measuring and creating meaningful experiences.

People work with people. Companies are collections of people. The last year has seen a dramatic change in the social business. Clients are wanting to know “who” they are getting. In UX it is about having the right expertise with the hard evidence to back it up. Reputations are built on what you have done, not what you say you are going to do. This is why portfolios, qualifications and CVs miss the point. They can only show the past. Social media is making it more about the thinking and the level of communication required.

Social Media is about:

Visibility

Connections

Collaboration

Feedback

I had a conversation about how I noticed clients and potential clients were looking at our Linkedin CVs and I found it funny when I was told “that clients should not be Googling people and should just read the bio as supplied”. Oh those naughty clients how dare they use Google. 😉 Of course who can blame them when they get bland descriptions written in the third person.

There is an upside to all of this. There is no longer a market for blaggarts and bullies.

Even on a Sunday the question came up, Do you know “so and so”. This was in relation to some one I once worked with applying for a job with a friend of mine.

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